MS Studios creative director says we should get used to an always connected world.

The latest round of rumors about the next Xbox's potential to require an Internet connection during use has drawn ire and disbelief among many gamers and industry watchers. At least one developer inside Microsoft Studios has a message for all the whiners out there: get over it.

Writing on Twitter yesterday (in posts that are now protected, but screengrabbed for posterity here), Microsoft Studios Creative Director Adam Orth likened requiring an Internet connection for a console to requiring electricity for a vacuum cleaner or mobile reception for a smartphone. "Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an 'always on' console," Orth tweeted. "Every device now is 'always on.' That's the world we live in. #dealwithit"

Of course, reliable electricity is practically a basic living standard in the developed world, whereas a bit over 30 percent of the US still doesn't have access to broadband Internet in their households, according to the OECD. And while good cell phone reception is required to use most of the core features of a smartphone, game systems have traditionally treated online features as optional additions to the central purpose of playing games locally (though that has been changing over the years).

When BioWare developer Manveer Heir pointed out on Twitter that people living in places like Janesville, WI or Blacksburg, VA might have trouble securing a reliable Internet connection for the system, Orth replied, "Why on earth would I live there?" (UPDATE: In furthertweets, Heir attempted to exonerate Orth for the tweets in which he badmouthed rural cities, saying that was "just [Orth] trolling me.")

Orth, who previously worked at Popcap and LucasArts, according to LinkedIn, said in his tweets that he was expressing his personal opinion and not providing any sort of official statement from Microsoft on the matter. To be clear, the whole "always on Internet requirement" is still officially a rumor that Microsoft won't comment on. Still, it's pretty obvious that the entire issue is seen as a much bigger deal to many consumers than it is to some within Microsoft.

"We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday. This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers. We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter."

Important to remember the guy is expressing his personal position on things, and this was not an official statement from Microsoft, nor was it a confirmation the next Xbox will require a constant internet connection. Frankly, I still find that incredibly unlikely.

But as a PlayStation loyalist, and somebody who never does online gaming, comments like these just make me all the more excited for the PS4. After the PS3 took a backseat to public opinion this generation, I'm hopeful Sony can seize on the momentum Microsoft is offering a golden platter to launch out to a fast and strong lead in the next generation of consoles.

The thing is, a large percentage of the population does live in rural areas- internet is not a given, and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that this console is going to do that will require an always on connection (hell, TWC in NYC isn't reliable). NOTHING. It's a stupid ploy to attract EA and Activision and the big publishers who are pissed about used game sales, and nothing more than that.

I wonder what might happen if SOny gets things right? Will Orth just #dealwithit ?

One community of avid gamers that would be completely isolated by an "always-on" policy are deployed military, particularly submariners, who enjoy playing XBOX and PS3 games in their off-hours, but have absolutely no ability to connect to the internet for weeks or months at a time. This community, of which I am a part, puts lots of dollars into the Game Industry and simply expects to be able to take their games with them wherever they are. The "always-on so we can ensure you're not a filthy pirate" mentality basically screws these loyal gamers.

Last I checked, arstechnica.com requires an internet connection for me to use it. Should we hate on them as well?

Last time I checked, I wasn't using the internet when I was playing Assassin's Creed 3. Last time I checked, Arstechnica is not something I can buy at the local bookstore. Last time I checked, you have no empathy.

I quit (really, I did, this is not for show or bravado), I quit buying anything that has DRM in it, is required to have an always on connection, or any feature that precludes me from actually owning and using the device I purchased. I absolutely will not 'lease' electronic devices, files, or software.

Rage against this trend all you want fellow Arsians, but them moment you turn around and buy the next always on device, the next SimCity, the next music or ebook file that you can't do with as you please, as in first sale doctrine, you've given up and lost the game.

Aside from downloading DLC, Arcade titles, and watching netflix i have never used the 'online' features of any game i own for the XBox, so for me there is no reason whatsoever to want an 'always on' console.I have nothing against unplugging my console from the internet if i am not specifically using it for such at the time.

What this guy said is outrageous. You can't say something controversial that pisses of your employer's paying customers and say "Oh, well that's okay because it was my own personal opinion".

Sure, I don't expect him to be a PR front for Microsoft and I understand he's still an individual with his own feelings and opinions.. but there's a BIG difference between being a PR rep for your employer, and openly saying things that will piss your employer's paying customers. This guy is a high visibility employee working on a high visibility project, and spouting inflammatory comments like these shouldn't be tolerated.

This is going to play out exactly as it should. If it hurts sales enough, Microsoft will change its mind. If people buy enough Xboxen and software to make Microsoft happy, then there's no problem.

My Xbox has been hooked up to a persistent Internet connection for 7 years now. I don't buy used games. This does not concern me in the least. We may soon have a real world test as to whether my situation and disposition will win the day.

I disagree with your position, but agree with your point: at the end of the day, sales will be the determining factor.

The funny thing is, although public sentiment seems to disagree with you (as do I), I think you might win the argument.

I'm going out on a limb here and say, "Maybe because running a device without power is a physically impossible reality, but running a device without data is an anti-consumer corporate design decision?".Saying otherwise is just false equivalence.

It's as if with every word out of some corporate managers mouth I'm less inclined to purchase a product either because they are a) terrible liars or b) not very bright, and I feel somewhat disgusted that my purchase money may somehow contribute to their salary.

Comparisons like that bug me. For a vacuum to work, you NEED electricity. For ONLINE gaming to work, you NEED an internet connection. To browse (a site on) the internet you NEED an internet connection.

To just play a game, you DO NOT NEED an internet connection. Adding requirements for features (online gaming) some might not want and then being smug about it with invalid comparisons is just not wise.

Sounds like it was ribbing between colleagues that was more public than it should have been.

Then he shouldn't have done it on his public Twitter account that is associated with his company. Intentional or not, he obviously screwed up as this is not how you drum up support for your company next-gen console. Whether he's an insufferable douche or he innocently and incompetently decided to have a private conversation in public; neither one bodes well for him.

Important to remember the guy is expressing his personal position on things, and this was not an official statement from Microsoft, nor was it a confirmation the next Xbox will require a constant internet connection.

Problem is, anyone with any kind of management title (director, manager, VP, etc.) really ought to know that if they're discussing their company's product, they don't have a "personal opinion". Their opinion gets construed as the company's position.

I assume this is getting force-fed into Mr. Orth's brain right now by way of about 20 jackhammers. Assuming he still has a job.

These people just seem to live in their own little bubble and have completely lost touch with the outside world.

Hey jackass, I live in a country that has some of the best internet connections in the world--I have 100Mbps unlimited connection in my apartment; guess what, I will NOT buy your fucking console. Deal with that.

But in all honesty, if I was PR person at Microsoft, I'd want this guy fired. He basically preempted whatever strategy they had to 'ease' people into this crappy always online requirement. Now it's firefighting time for them!

Kyle Orland / Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area.